At 19, I was a keen horse rider, competing internationally in dressage, show jumping, and cross country. But I was coping daily with relentless headaches that had affected me for two years. Following the doctor’s advice, ranging from switching my riding helmets to taking pharmaceutical stress management medications like beta blockers (at the age of 17), the discomfort persisted.
As I started my Geology and Chemistry studies at the University of Manchester, a new symptom emerged after feeling unwell and fainting – triple vision. This rather odd occurrence prompted another visit to the doctor's office. What followed was a succession of medical consultations, all with the reassurance of “things seem fine, but just to make sure,” culminating in an MRI scan that revealed a truth that would alter the next few years of my life – a tumor situated between the third and fourth ventricles of my brain that triggered a secondary life-threatening condition known as hydrocephalus, commonly referred to as "water on the brain." This condition occurs when cerebrospinal fluid accumulates, exerting pressure on the brain.
The diagnosis was a shock, and just like that, I was pulled into a world of uncertainty, fear, emergency medical operations, and treatment. I was fortunate enough to have the UK’s leading neurosurgeon as my doctor, who urged immediate admission to address the issue and its complications. A family liaison nurse posed a question to me and my parents right before I was taken into the theatre – what were my last wishes in the event the operation didn't go as planned? It was a sobering moment. My first operation was long but successful and left me with a shaved head and Frankenstein-like staples across my skull. The surgeon said he was relieved with the operation's course; “I had never seen anyone living with that much pressure in the head!”
The road to recovery was long and arduous. Living with such high pressure in my brain had left me with distorted balance and impaired mobility, requiring intensive physical therapy to regain my ability to walk, strength, and independence.
As I slowly began to rebuild my life, six months after my surgery, I returned to university. Despite my love for horse riding, I had to retire. The risk of falling without inserting a metal plate to protect my ‘eggshell’ skull was too high. Instead, I turned to new forms of exercise like yoga to prioritize my health and recovery. Joining the gym also felt like a great way to kickstart my journey to wellness. When I met the personal trainer, I instantly knew he was the one I would spend my life with. Twenty years and five kids later, it seems my judgment wasn't too shabby!
However, life threw another curveball just as I began to find my footing. I was struck down by Meningitis, followed by yet another brain operation six months later. Despite the reduced risk of this procedure, the recovery process was grueling. I spent over a week in the ICU, enduring multiple blood transfusions and emerging from the ordeal more broken and frail than ever before.
At 105 pounds and 5 feet 9 inches tall, I was a shadow of my former self. The toll that these successive challenges had taken on my body was evident, and it was clear that my road to recovery was far from over. Even with incredible support from my family and medical team, I was not doing well. The pain I felt throughout my body daily was almost unbearable. The neurosurgeon whom I had grown to know and trust was baffled by my ongoing symptoms. He reassured me that I had responded well to treatment, problems had been solved, and I needed to “get on with life.” Yet I sat in a wheelchair, in so much pain, and too tired to stand for more than a few minutes. I remember vividly once lying on a sofa clutching my agonizingly painful wrists and saying to my mum, “It feels like I am dying, and no one can help me.”
During this challenging period, my parents, true to the ideology of being the ultimate savior to their child, set out on a research quest for alternative solutions. Their determination and connections led me to Dr. Raymond Perrin, an osteopath specializing in ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) treatment with natural supplements and therapies. The diagnosis of ME came after an exhaustive exploration of every other possible condition, making it the turning point in my journey to good health.
During our initial meeting, Dr Perrin diagnosed my “utterly broken” immune system and prescribed an intensive regimen. This included thrice-weekly full-body lymphatic massages at his clinic and twice-daily self-massages at home, along with a high-dose prescription of VEGepa supplements, vitamin C, magnesium, hot and cold therapy on lymphatic hot spots, and a carefully curated and very restrictive diet to reduce inflammation. I also consumed daily homemade bone broth, turmeric, probiotics, and prebiotics. He assured me that following his treatment plan, he would have me out of my wheelchair and walking down the aisle to be married within a year – and remarkably, he delivered! Even two decades later, I continue to incorporate lower doses of some prescribed supplements in my daily routine.
My journey taught me a valuable lesson: while conventional medicine saved my life, natural interventions gave me my quality of life. I encourage others to explore the power of natural supplements and therapies.
"The greatest wealth is health." - Virgil
